The notorious ShockWaves NME Awards Tour has announced a Monster line-up for next year’s series, which includes a trip to The Hexagon on February 12.

The Automatic, who had a 2006 number one hit with Monster, celebrate a massive year and a Reading Festival triumph by returning to the town to headline the event.

The View, The Horrors and Mumm-Ra will join them on the tour, which kicks off in Belfast on January 29.

The tours have become a legendary starting block for bands on the road to greatness.

Last year’s stars Arctic Monkeys were booked when they were mere unknowns, but went on to become the biggest and most critically acclaimed band of the year. Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers and Kaiser Chiefs have also cut their rock teeth on the awards tours.

“It’s really nice to pull off a headline slot on a prestigious tour,” said The Automatic’s Rob Hawkins.

“What I like about this tour is that it gives exposure to bands and that’s a really good thing. It’s all about stealing other people’s audiences,” he joked.

NME editor Conor McNicholas added: “The ShockWaves NME Awards Tour has become the stuff of legend over the last few years and even won an award itself in 2006.

“In previous years the tour has always sold out incredibly quickly, leaving some fans disappointed, so this year we wanted to do something really special – give fans double the bands and double the tour.”

With that in mind, organisers will simultaneously stage an Indie Rave tour, though that part of the double header will not reach Reading.

Tickets went on sale this week, with 50p from every ticket sold going to global-warming initiative Global Cool.